The mechanisms of replication and recombination are of fundamental importance to all organisms. Recent research has revealed a crucial connection between these two processes that is essential for the preservation of genome stability in all species. New structural studies promise stunning new insight to the basic mechanisms of the replication fork. And the myriad layers of control of the initiation of eukaryotic replication are being peeled away for inspection. The solution of several current problems is pivotal to future progress. These problems include: identification of the eukaryotic replication fork DNA helicase, establishing the mechanism of initiation of DNA replication at a eukaryotic origin, definition of the mechanisms by which the RecQ-like DNA helicases contribute to genome stability, elucidation of the biochemical pathway of double-strand break formation that initiates meiotic recombination, elaboration of the biochemical pathways of double-strand break repair, and illumination of the crosstalk between the recombination and replication machinery that contributes to replication fork reactivation. The symposium will highlight the most recent findings in these related areas of research and will help keep workers in these growing and fast moving fields abreast of the current state of knowledge. This meeting provides a special opportunity for people working in replication and recombination to benefit from a comprehensive, multi disciplinary view, spanning biological concepts to atomic detail. The fact that the meeting is "open" ensures maximum exposure and accessibility for speakers and participants. The opportunity to present one's work and the "cross-pollination" that this meeting provides can have an important impact on the formulation and direction of the career of graduate students and postdoctorals. This meeting is held only once every three years. It is not duplicated by other meetings in that it is the only one that brings together large numbers of replication and recombination projects. Given the rapid pace of progress in these fields over the last three years, it should prove to be a timely and exciting meeting.